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How I Edit my Instagram Photos: Plus Aesthetic and VSCO tips!

Monday, February 5, 2018

One of the most popular questions I get is how I edit my Instagram photos, what filters I use, etc. I wanted to use a whole blog post to address this with you all since I get asked by a lot of you! To start, I recommend you choose a color scheme/look that you want for your Instagram. I have a list of requirements I try to make sure my photos meet before posting a photo. Another blogger recommended that you create an aesthetic pin board on Pinterest. Then, go through everything that you have pinned there and see what they all have in common that you like. This will help you decide what you want your Instagram aesthetic to look like.

With the apps and editing programs I use, I totally believe in doing things for free! There are so many editing apps out there that there's no reason to spend money on them if you don't want to. My very favorite app is VSCO. My favorite filters to use are HB1, HB2, and A6. To get some of these filters (they are all free!!), but you have to go to the 'shop' section and get 'We the Creators' package. I think that the best way to have a good Instagram aesthetic is to stick to one or two filters and keep your photos to a similar color scheme.

When sometimes I will either make the photo warmer or cooler depending on the colors in it. Lastly, I up the sharpening up to maybe 30%. I also like using Pinterest to find different 'recipes' with the VSCO presets. There are some great recommendations to help keep a cohesive aesthetic. Side note: I also like to have some sort of selfie editor for touch-ups. I use their blur feature if I
am having a breakout and want to hide my acne.

This is one of my favorite 'recipes' for VSCO:

HB1 or HB2

Exposure: +1

Shadows Tint (orange): +1.5

Saturation: +3

The next app I love to use it UNUM. This lets you plan out your Instagram feed. You are able to rearrange photos, hide photos, and schedule posts. I love this because I can see how a photo will look on my feed before I post it.

As a side note I also use Lightroom's mobile app to sometimes adjust lighting. I already pay to use Lightroom's desktop version, so I try to utilize the app as well. I don't recommend buying Lightroom just for Instagram photos, however if you are already paying for it, I highly recommend downloading their app!